Gaeng Jued
แกงจืด
Gaeng Jued is Thai clear soup — a mild, clean broth with tofu, pork meatballs, glass noodles, and vegetables, seasoned lightly with soy sauce and white pepper. It is the Thai answer to chicken noodle soup.
Cultural Origin
Gaeng Jued is a mild, clear Central Thai soup with Chinese-Thai roots, built on a light pork or chicken broth with vegetables, glass noodles, tofu, and minced pork. It is a household balancing dish served alongside spicy curries and salads at family meals.
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- pork broth
- tofu
- glass noodles
- pork meatballs
- white pepper
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
Genuinely bland by Thai standards, which is the point — a thin, clean broth with soft tofu and tender pork balls, seasoned mainly with white pepper rather than chilli or lime.
How Gaeng Jued Is Made
- 1
Simmer the broth
A light pork or chicken stock is kept at a gentle simmer, without the heavy aromatics used in tom yum or tom kha.
- 2
Add pork balls
Seasoned minced pork is shaped into small balls and dropped into the simmering broth, cooked through gently.
- 3
Add tofu and noodles
Soft tofu cubes and soaked glass noodles are added next, simmered just long enough to heat through.
- 4
Add vegetables
Napa cabbage or other light vegetables go in last, cooked briefly so they keep some bite.
- 5
Season lightly
Soy sauce and white pepper are added at the end, kept minimal so the broth stays clean rather than heavily seasoned.
When It’s Eaten
Served as a side dish alongside spicy mains such as green curry or pad kra pao, used to reset the palate between bites rather than eaten as the centrepiece of a meal.
How to Order It
- แกงจืดเต้าหู้หมูสับ
- gaeng jued tao hu mu sap
- clear soup with tofu and minced pork
- ไม่ใส่พริกไทย
- mai sai prik thai
- no white pepper
- ใส่ผักเยอะ
- sai phak yoe
- extra vegetables
What people get wrong
Ordering it expecting a flavour-forward soup in its own right — gaeng jued is deliberately mild, and judging it against tom yum or tom kha misses the point of what it is for.
Where to Try It
Thai rice-and-curry shops (khao rad gaeng) throughout the country as a standard accompaniment to spicy dishes.
Tips
- Order Gaeng Jued alongside spicy dishes to cool your palate between bites of Pad Kra Pao or green curry.